Love Somebody
by PreRaphaeliteGirl
Summary: Mitchell did not turn Lauren, he turned someone else. Ella, who is not addicted to blood, feels alone and wants to help Mitchell stay clean. To save and be saved. Mitchell/OC. REVISED VERSION OF CHAPTER EIGHT POSTED!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First of all, I wish I had known more about Being Human when it first came out. Sadly, it didn't get the attention it deserves until it was too late. The truth is, I watched seasons 1-3 after I saw the Hobbit and fell in love with Aidan Turner. Of course after I watched the show I fell for it in it's own right. George, Annie, Mitchell, and Nina are some of the best written characters out there. The writing for the show is brilliant and has surpassed all feelings I had in the past about other supernatural shows. I can't even watch TVD anymore, it just pisses me off. **

**Now, Annie/Mitchell is defiantly my OTP but this idea has been circulating in my head for awhile. I can't help but think about how things would have panned out if Mitchell had turned someone else, rather than Lauren. Someone who was kinder and able to help Mitchell. This is what my imagination has come up with.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Being Human. The only things I put claim on are my OC (Ella) and any plot that does not fall under canon. **

Chapter One

Ella couldn't find it in her to regret her decisions. After all, how often do a girl's expectations for her first time actually come true, well, almost true. She certainly didn't expect that Mitchell would kill her. Still, he had the tall, dark, mysterious look down to a tee, so she couldn't complain about that. And she had to admit, the Irish accent was her true undoing. And he really was gentle considering it was her first time, well, up until the part where he sunk his fangs into her neck.

She was mad at him for not being there for her when she came to in the morgue. He just left her with the other vampires in Bristol. She really couldn't stand them, they just freaked her out. All the talk about recruiting made her feel uncomfortable, it reminded her of conscription for an army.

But Ella had another reasons for not getting on with her fellow creatures of the night, the biggest one being her lack of desire for blood. It was hard for her to explain when they pressured her about it. She could see the allure and she knew the taste was exquisite but it just didn't have the hold on her. The others thought she was weak for not drinking blood, and the last thing she wanted was vampires thinking her weak.

"You going to the hospital now?" someone asked as Seth donned a coat. She really hated Seth, he was a creep.

"Well they don't recruit themselves, now do they?" he smirked.

"Try to avoid running into Mitchell, wouldn't want a scene," someone else laughed. Ella's head snapped up.

"Mitchell? He's at the hospital?" she asked.

"He works there as a cleaner. He didn't mention that while you two were shagging?" She really, really hated Seth.

She grabbed her coat and headed for the door. "I'm coming with you, I need to speak with him."

They left the funeral parlour and walked to the hospital. As they rode up the lift, Seth explained to her exactly how things would go.

"First we find the human in Intensive Care, then you can go bugger off and find him," he said.

"Fine," she retorted. She didn't want to recruit anyone, but arguing would just bring attention and problems to herself.

They made their way down the corridor when they finally found the right floor.

"Watch for anyone coming, sweetheart," Seth said when they slipped inside the room of the poor man.

She glared at him, but leaned against the wall anyway, watching through the window on the door.

Before Seth could get down to business though, Ella saw Mitchell appear at the end of the corridor in scrubs.

"Mitchell's coming," she said calmly. He burst through the door a moment later, staring pointedly at Seth, who tried to make a joke out of it.

"What are you doing here, Seth?"

"Herrick thinks recruitment should be more tactical, those with money and influence. No more tramps or people who fall asleep on the night bus," he looked over at Ella. "You had the right idea with her, at least she's easy on the eyes, not very useful though, never drinks."

Mitchell turned to Ella, as if just realizing she was there. She gave a half-hearted wave, "Hi, Mitchell."

Seth turned his attention to the man on the bed, "This fella, I think he's on a council or something."

"Leave him alone," Mitchell spoke clearly.

"You want to share?" Ella grew uneasy as Seth taunted him about the blood and about Mitchell's past indiscretions. Although she was happy to hear him say that he was clean.

"I said leave him alone," this time it was clearly an order.

"Or what? Look at you, when's the last time you fed. You're shaking and sweating. Get into character and watch the door. I've got a job to do," Seth moved in to feed but Mitchell grabbed him by the jacket and slammed him up against the wall.

"I don't care if the coolest kid in school is suddenly your mate, Seth. Tell Herrick the hospital is out of bounds." Ella moved at the side as Mitchell pushed him away. Seth shrugged it off and straightened his jacket.

"A word of warning, one friend to another, it's cold out there without us," Seth stormed out without waiting for Ella.

"Rude," she said out loud. Mitchell turned to look at her. "I didn't come her to recruit, I don't want anything to do with that. I came to talk to you."

"Ella, I'm working."

"But Mitchell, it's important! All that talk Seth said is right, Herrick is being much more diligent when it comes to recruitment and it worries me. And there is another reason ..."

"What?"

"Well, I heard that you were clean and according to you it's true," she began. He nodded for her to continue. "And I was wondering ... if ... God, this is going to sound imposing."

"If what?"

"If I could stay with you," she said quietly, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. It was their first night all over again.

"Ella," he started.

"Please, Mitchell, I can't stay with the other vampires. I don't drink the blood and they think there is something wrong with me."

"Ella, I made the choice to alienate myself from the coven and as you can clearly see, they still won't leave me alone. They won't let me take more vampires off their hands."

"But they don't really want me! It's like Seth said, I'm really no use them. I'm eighteen, for Christ's sake I was in university studying English!"

"It's not just that, Ella. I said I was clean, but it is a struggle everyday. And I'm afraid having another vampire would make things harder."

"Have you been listening to me? I don't drink the blood, Mitchell, it doesn't affect me the way it does with the others. And that could be good, I could help you Mitchell."

He was silent now, and she smiled seeing that she was finally getting through to him.

"Please, Mitchell, I can't go back to them, I'm so scared."

He looked down at her and contemplated this for a moment longer before he came to his decision. "Fine, go to the cafeteria and wait there for me. I'll come get you in about half an hour."

She jumped forward and hugged his waist. "Thank you, Mitchell, you won't regret this."

**A/N: Review please, I'd be curious as to what you think about this. Keep in mind that I do plan on changing things up as the story progresses. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to you guys who reviewed, followed and added this to your favorites! I'm glad you guys like it!**

Chapter Two

Ella drummed her fingers against the table as she waited for Mitchell to finish his shift. She thought about the other vampires at the funeral parlor and wondered if she would be missed at, if any one of them actually gave a damn about her presence – probably not.

The silent moments of reflection usually brought her back to thinking about her parents and what they must be feeling. To think that none of this would have happened if her and her cousin hadn't gone out that night to the pub. By now she would be back home in Canada, getting ready to back to school.

She had been in England for two weeks visiting family and Grace wanted her to meet her friends before she left. So they met up at the pub to hang out. At first it was fine, Grace's friends seemed really nice but as the night wore and they became considerably rowdier. Ella had just stepped outside to get some air. That was where she met Mitchell.

"Hey," he pulled her from her musings, as he sat down across from her in the cafeteria.

"Your shift over?"

"Yeah, listen, is there anything left at the funeral parlor that you need to grab? I don't want you going back there alone."

She smiled, "That's sweet, but actually this is all I have," she gestured to the clothes she was wearing. "My cousin handed over the rest of my belongings to the police. After they were checked for evidence I assume they were sent back to my parents."

Mitchell nodded, looking uncomfortable as the topic of her death came up, "Well, I'll give you some money to buy some new clothes."

"Because the job of a porter must pay exceptionally high and you can toss money around like it's nobody's business," she smirked at him. "I still have a bit of money on me, after that, I'm sure I can work something out. Oh, by the way, I will be commandeering your shower the first chance I get."

"Fine by me," he said. "So, I should probably warn you that I live with two other ... people."

"Really? Isn't that a little risky, considering you're trying to stay clean?" she asked curious.

"Not exactly. They aren't human."

"You're living with other vampires?" she was slightly offended. If he was already living with vampires, why had he given her such a hard time?

"No, listen, they aren't human and they aren't vampires," he said clearly and then looked over her shoulder. "Can you give me one second?"

"Sure," she said and watched as he jumped up and rushed over to a young man with a bag slung over his shoulder. The man looked nervous as he spoke to Mitchell. She tried to decipher what he was saying but it was no use.

Whatever he said made Mitchell just as panicked and caused him to forget all about her as they rushed out of the room.

"Mitchell?" she called as she followed them down the corridor. "Mitchell what's going on?"

He stopped and waited for her to catch up, "I need to go somewhere, you stay here." He began rushing the young man to a stairwell, they were heading to the parking lot.

"No way, I'm coming with you," she said as she followed them down the stairs. Mitchell stopped and tried to come up with an argument.

"Mitchell, we don't have time for this," the man spoke in a high stressed voice. Mitchell ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine," he said, exasperated and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her along with him to his car. She hopped in the back, while the man occupied the passenger seat. Mitchell quickly started up the car and drove away from the hospital.

"Hi, I'm Ella Craig!" she extended her hand to the front.

The man looked flustered at first but then reached back to awkwardly shake hands with her, "George Sands, nice to meet you."

"Now can you tell me what's going on?" she leaned her chin on the back of Mitchell's seat.

"George is a werewolf," Mitchell said bluntly. She turned to look at George.

"Really?"

"Mitchell!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, don't worry, it's fine. I'm a vampire, Mitchell is my creator."

"Do me a favor and don't call me your creator," Mitchell said uncomfortably.

"What! When did this happen?" George asked.

"Well let's see, it's a Tuesday now, yes? And we hooked up the Friday before last, so a little over a week." A thought suddenly occurred to me, "Oh, I get it now, you must be Mitchell's flatmate."

She watched as George began to hyperventilate "Are you alright? Mitchell, what's happening?"

"It's a full moon, Ella," he said patiently. She looked out the window and saw that it was indeed a full moon. She looked back at a distressed George and finally put the pieces together.

"Oh shit," she said sitting back in her seat.

"You know what, here's fine, here's fine," George said.

"What here? I can't stop the car here, George," Mitchell argued.

"Please, stop the car, stop the car," they bantered for a few more seconds before George went so far as to try to grab the steering wheel. Causing the car to swerve off to the side, Ella yelped and grabbed tight to her seat belt.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mitchell panicked as he slammed on the brakes. George jumped out of the car and stated running. Mitchell and Ella followed him out.

"George, wait! You haven't had time to find somewhere. You can't just run into some random bit of country side, you'll kill someone."

"Well, what else can I do?" he asked.

"Come back to the house," Mitchell encouraged.

"I'm not doing this in the house," George said, sounding offended.

"Oh for God's sake, you can't always keep it separate," Mitchell shouted as George ran away. "This is happening, this is part of you! George, it's safer there, we can contain you. George!" Mitchell groaned and turned back to the car. Ella stood awkwardly beside it, worrying her lip.

"Get back in the car," he ordered. She did as he said, sliding into the back.

"Keep an eye through the window, just in case," he said as he sat in the driver's seat. She turned around and leaned her head on the back rest. They waited for about fifteen minutes. Mitchell put on the radio to fill the silence.

"I don't think he's coming back," Ella said. Mitchell looked around one last time before starting the car. She turned back and spotted a figure running towards them, "Wait."

George opened the door and jumped in, "No, you're right, let's go back to the house," he said calmly.

"What?" Mitchell said, confused.

"Well like you said, it is safer there. So can we go, now," George urged. Mitchell quickly sped off.

When they were back in town, George began hyperventilating again, "We have to hurry, I don't have much time." Mitchell pulled up in front of a pink house and they all filed out.

"George, what's happening, I thought it was your time of the month?" a women asked when they rushed into the house.

"It is, he's doing it here," Mitchell answered for him.

"I just hovered," she complained before looking over at Ella, "Who's this?"

"Hi, I'm Ella," she waved.

"You can see me?" the woman asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Alright I'm going to make this very simple," Mitchell said, "Annie, this is Ella, she's a vampire. Ella, this is Annie, she's a ghost. Now, George, what do you need?"

As George listed off what needed to be done, Mitchell handed breakable objects to Ella and shut the curtains.

"Annie, put some music on, and put anything you don't want broken in your room."

"What are we supposed to do while he's doing his thing?" she asked.

"Get the hell out of here," he handed a few more things to Ella. "Go wait outside." She nodded and headed for the door while Annie asked to stay and watch, to which George refused.

"This isn't like when you were six, watching a cat give birth to kittens. It's private."

Mitchell and Annie argued why it could be a good thing for her to be present, eventually winning him over.

"Fine, but stay to the kitchen and out of its line of vision. If it sees you I don't know what it will do," Ella jumped as George let out a scream and dropped a ceramic bowl. "It's coming," he said plainly.

Annie ran to the kitchen while Mitchell grabbed the TV and ushered Ella out the door. They sat on the step outside.

For a while, all they could hear was the blaring music until suddenly, George began screaming. Loud, agonizing screams. Ella was surprised the neighbours didn't come out to check.

Eventually the screams became guttural, animal noises followed by the sounds of objects being demolished. Mitchell shook his head and sighed.

"He's gone," Annie said solemnly, appearing beside her.

"Is there anything we can do?" Ella asked.

"Not unless you want your head ripped off," Mitchell replied. "We just have to wait it out."

**A/N: Please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The three of them sat outside the house all night while George – or rather, the wolf – trashed inside. It wasn't until the sky began to turn light blue that the violent sounds died down.

Ella shielded her sensitive eyes as the sun began to peek through the clouds, "Is it over?"

Mitchell reached back and rapped his knuckles on the door, when no response came he nodded. She stood up with Annie and stretched while he opened the door.

What they found on the other side was wreckage thrown everywhere, mixed with piles of stuffing from the ravaged pillows and sofa cushions.

"Jesus," Ella said looking around. "Wait," she stared up the stairs, "how did the wolf manage to barricade the stairs with the chairs from the kitchen?" Mitchell shot her a dark look.

"I'm just saying, it looks like a task such as that would require a certain amount of dexterity." When he gave her another look she replied with, "I'll shut up now."

They looked to the living room were a very naked George was passed out on the floor. Ella noticed a curtain which was half torn off the rod. She slipped it off completely and handed it to Mitchell to cover George up. He mumbled something, half conscious as Mitchell helped him up. Annie and Ella began clearing the chairs and other objects off the stairs so Mitchell could take him up to his room.

"I don't know if any of this is salvageable, but we should at least start clearing it away," Annie said before disappearing in one instant and reappearing in another with a broom and garbage bags.

Ella took a bag, staring at Annie curiously, "You're actually the first ghost I've met. What's it like?"

"We'll, I would imagine it's something like being a vampire, you're dead but ... not dead at the same time."

"And the popping in and out?"

"That came with time, along with other things, like being seen. You can see me all the time because you are supernatural. Humans couldn't see me when I died, but lately I'm becoming much more visible."

"Well that's good," Ella smiled.

"So you will be staying with us then?" Annie asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, Mitchell's doing me a big favour by putting me up." A thought occurred to her, "As long as you guys are okay with it."

"Of course! The more the merrier!" Annie's bubbly smile was contagious, "It will be nice to have another girl in the house."

The phone rang suddenly and Annie – perhaps out of habit – went to answer it. Mitchell came back down the stairs and grabbed it first, "Hello, oh, hey Owen," Ella went back to sweeping crap into a bag but Annie remained in the entry way listening in on him. "Today? I don't know," Mitchell said doubtfully. Annie ran up to him and began making wild hand gestures. They silently argued which resulted in Annie kicking his leg.

"Ow! Ugh, you know what? That time actually does work for us. All right, we'll see you later," he glared at Annie as he hung up. "He'll be here in an hour."

Annie grinned from ear to ear as she flitted around the room, cleaning faster than both vampires.

"I'm sorry, who will be here?" Ella asked.

"Owen, he's our landlord," he looked over at Annie, "and her former fiancé. By careful what you say, it's still a delicate subject."

Ella watched Annie, feeling a sense of kinship with the ghost who, like her, was taken from the human world too soon and thrust into the world of the dead.

George woke up some time later when they had gotten the majority of the mess cleaned away. The lower level of the flat now looked quite barren.

"Oh no," he moaned, looking around, "where's all the stuff. What did it do?"

"We've salvaged what we can but there's about ten bin bags of crap and wreckage stashed in my bedroom," Mitchell said, picking up some unharmed pillows. "I'm sensing a trip to Ikea," he turned to George and spoke seriously, "and you know my feelings about that." Ella smiled at his unique idiosyncrasy.

"Look, why don't you guys go out, let me finish up here. It's the least I can do," George said looking around.

"We've finished up most of it, anyway," Ella said.

"Owen rang!" Annie said excitedly.

"Owen who?" George looked confused.

"Owen, your landlord, my fiancé – ex-fiance," she corrected herself. "He's coming around."

"In about ... now," Mitchell said glancing at the clock.

"He's coming here? Why?" George's voice raised in pitch.

"He's over from Saudi for a few months and wants to meet us," Mitchell said tossing the pillows on the now cushion-less sofa. Ella grabbed a blanket to cover up the slightly mangled upholstery.

"You guys are his longest staying tenets, all the others have found it strangely unwelcoming," Annie said awkwardly.

"Why didn't you put him off?" George asked.

"I tried, but she kicked me in the shin," Mitchell defended himself. George took off is glasses, baffled by the twelve-year-old trapped in a vampire's body. "The _shin_, George!" Ella smiled at this carefree side of him.

"Obviously I'll hide, he's not going to see me," Annie defended. She handed Mitchell a list of questions for him to ask Owen.

"Are you screwing Janey Harris?" Mitchell read out loud.

"She always fancied Owen, trust me if she had known I had died, she would have shown up before the ambulance."

"Aw, has my sister had a baby?" Mitchell read the next one.

"Yeah, cause they've tried for ages. I blame her husband, his name's Robert, he works in a post office," she said with distaste.

"Oh my God, is everyone taking stupid pills?" George asked out loud. "This is Annie's ex were talking about, you can't be within ten miles of here."

They launched into an argument on whether Annie could stay or not while Mitchell attempted to get a word in.

"Is it always like this, because debate was never my strong suit," Ella whispered to Mitchell.

"Not always," he replied before interrupting, "Okay, look as long as she stays upstairs, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh, I'll remind you of that when there's a crowd gathering outside with torches and pitchforks. No I'm sorry, we have to protect the household," George reasoned.

"You just smashed up the household," Annie retorted.

"That wasn't _me_," George said as the doorbell rang.

"Well, I guess that's settled. Annie," Mitchell gestured with his head to go upstairs.

"What about me?" Ella asked. "If I'm going to be around, should he know?"

Mitchell thought about it. "Probably, means he's going to start charging rent for three." He looked around, "Just, ah, sit over there," he pointed to the bottom of the stairs.

"Ask about the clanky tap," George said. "No, I will. Just, just leave all the talking to me. Now remember, we're two guys," he looked at Ella who was sitting on the stairs with her chin in her hands, "and a girl renting a house. It's the most natural thing in the world," he seemed to be trying to convince himself more than them. "We just have to be totally and completely normal."

"Good luck with that," Mitchell said before opening the door to let Owen in. "Hey, how you doing? I'm Mitchell, we spoke on the phone."

"Owen," he replied shaking hands.

"This is George and Ella," Mitchell gestured to both of them. Owen's eyebrows rose when he saw Ella on the stairs.

"I thought it was just the two of you," he said shaking hands with George.

"Yeah we didn't mention her when were looking at the place because at the time, it seemed like she wouldn't be coming," Mitchell explained, quickly fabricating a lie.

"But there was a change of plans," she stood up to shake his hand, playing along.

She decided not to follow them into the living room, knowing that Owen asking about the lack off furniture would bring about an awkward conversation. She went to the kitchen and grabbed the beers that Mitchell had offered, while George went to deal with Annie who was making a shuffling noise upstairs. She handed them to Mitchell and sat by the stairs again, listening to him ask about Annie's death.

She put a hand over her face when George came back and told them it was a pigeon making the noise which he had killed. Naturally, Owen decided that it was time to get the hell out of there, promising to come back and fix the tap.

"It was nice meeting you," she said as he left. When the door was shut Mitchell turned to George.

"How did you do that? Stay so calm," he started.

"Okay, shut up," George sighed.

"You're a spy, aren't you?" he asked. "I mean, you've clearly had training because the way you held it together was absolutely chilling."

Ella laughed at their banter. She knew right then, that she had made the right choice of coming to Mitchell for help.

**A/N: Let me know what you think! I'm glad you are liking it so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sixteen reviews! That is awesome. I wasn't sure how this fic would be received when I started it but I'm glad you like it! **

Chapter Four

"About that shower ..." Ella trailed off after things had quieted down. She looked down at the green dress she had worn the night she met Mitchell, which was quite dingy. Her hair was in need of a serious washing as well.

"Oh, right," Mitchell lead her up the stairs and down the hall to his room. "The only clothes Annie has are the ones she died in, so you'll have to make do with mine." He reached into the closet and pulled out a long-sleeved grey shirt.

"Fine by me, I wasn't planning on going anywhere any time soon. I'm exhausted," she looked around Mitchell's bedroom, taking in the disorganized objects he must had collected over the years. She hadn't really had time to look around the last time she was here.

"I have to leave in a bit for work, so you can sleep in here if you want," he handed her the clothes as well as a towel and lead her back down the hall to the bathroom.

"Thanks, Mitchell," she paused, "I'm going to find a way to make all this up to you."

"Hey, no, that's not necessary. I did this to you, it's only fair that I take responsibility," he said, fiddling with the taps on the shower.

"But you know that I'm not mad at you for that, right?" Ella said standing awkwardly behind him. He didn't respond. "Mitchell?" Water started spraying from the shower head.

"It takes a few minutes for the water to heat up," he said turning back to her. "I have to get ready for work, I'll see you later."

"Okay," she decided not to press the issue and pretended that he hadn't heard her. After he left she began stripping off her clothes and folded them into a pile to be washed later. She tested the water with her finger tips before stepping inside as it was beginning to warm up.

She let out a sigh as the water relaxed her shoulders, she felt as if she had carried a heavy weight for the past week. Back at the parlour with the vampires, her future had seemed bleak. Cold stone walls, blood and recruitment. Now she was safe with Mitchell, George and Annie.

She ran her fingers through her wet hair and pulled it over her shoulder to squeeze the grim out. She looked at the bottles on the shelf in the shower, wondering which one was Annie's. It occurred to her a second later that ghosts don't have bodies, so they don't need to shower. Her choices came down to the bottles that belonged to her masculine housemates. It beat smelling like a back ally.

When she was truly clean for the first time in a week, she stepped out of the shower and dried off. She began getting dressed, pulling the grey shirt over her head. The track pants he had given her where quite long so she decided to forgo them, considering she was about to sleep.

She hung up the towel and gathered her things before making her way back to Mitchell's room. She assumed that he had left while she was in the bathroom seeing as his bag and jacket were missing. She laid her clothes by the foot of the bed and crawled under the sheets. It felt nice to rest in an actual bed rather than the stiff cot with pointy springs at the parlour. It took absolutely no time for her to fall asleep.

**~~Love Somebody~~**

A door slam jolted Ella awake sometime later. She rubbed her temple and gazed at the clock by the bed which read 10:37pm.

"Christ," she said sitting up. She looked back at the clock and frowned, neither Mitchell nor George had a night shift, they should have been back hours ago. She pulled on Mitchell's track pants and rolled them up a few times before going down stairs. There was a solemn atmosphere on the first floor.

She looked into the living room where Mitchell had slumped down on the floor, leaning against the sofa. His clothes were spotted with blood and his expression was grim. She noticed George and Annie looking at him through the kitchen as well.

"The energy it must take him every minute not to be like that," George said.

"Do you think he should have saved her?" Annie asked.

"I think he did," he replied.

"What happened?" Ella asked.

"A girl ... who worked at the hospital went out with Mitchell," George explained. Ella looked through the window in the kitchen to catch a glimpse of Mitchell who still hadn't moved.

"Did he ..." she trailed off.

"No, no, it was another vampire, they might have had something against him. They wanted him to turn her."

"I bet it was Seth," she sighed. "So she died?"

"Yes," George said with a catch in his throat as he tossed his bloodied scrubs in the trash.

Ella left the kitchen and approached Mitchell in the living room.

"Hey," she said tentatively as she sat on the sofa above him. She crossed her legs and moved her hands to the top of head, gently messaging his temples.

He looked up at her with a confused expression so she explained, "Sometimes I saw the other vampires kill people and it started to give me headaches." She used her thumb to wipe away a trace of moisture under his eyes.

No other words were exchanged for the rest of the night. Ella wanted to tell him it was okay, but knew he had lived far too many decades to hear that from someone who had been a vampire for a little over a week. By about two in the morning he finally fell asleep. Ella put a pillow under his head and spread a blanket over him before stretching out on the couch to keep an eye on him.

**A/N: So, yeah, this kind of ended up being a filler chapter. I'll probably be updating this weekend. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry this took so long. Reading week has commenced for me, which means I will have plenty of time to write!**

Chapter Five

A little money went a long way in charity shops, which Bristol seemed to have no shortage of. Between her first shopping trip for necessities and this one, Ella now had a sufficient wardrobe. She never realized before how difficult it was to pick out clothes when you can't see your own reflection. She at least found quite a few clothes with beautiful colors that fit nicely.

She paid for her clothes and waved goodbye to the kind woman who ran the shop. The sky was clear that day, letting the sun shine through rather unpleasantly so she slipped on her sunglasses before heading down the street.

It had been several weeks since she had settled in with Mitchell, Annie, and George. She wished she could convince herself that all was well but that was unfortunately not the case. Tomorrow was a full moon which left George even more wired than normal but since he didn't have work there wouldn't be an incident like last month. Annie, after seeing Owen with Janey had, for better lack of a word, lapsed. No one other than the supernatural could see her now and it was taking its toll on her, no matter how hard she tried to hide it with a cheery smile and a cup of tea.

As for Mitchell, he was ... low. Becca's death had effected him far greater than she had anticipated. He seldom ventured out of their room unless it was to shower or eat which Ella frequently encouraged. The night after Becca had died, he had generously offered to share his room with her. Despite the fact that it was cluttered to no end, it was nice to be able to keep an eye on him. Even if she hadn't wanted to bunk with him, she wouldn't have had the heart to tell him no. Had she been in his position, she wouldn't have wanted to be alone either.

As she began nearing the more residential area of Bristol she noticed a group of teenagers standing around the mouth of an alley.

"Oi! That's her," a voice shouted. On instinct she turned around and saw one of them pointing at her. His friends turned to stare. He stared to approach her, "Are you Ella?"

"Who wants to know?" she asked skeptically.

To answer her question, his eyes turned a scorched black and he flashed his fangs.

"Oh, that's who," she squared her shoulders, determined not to let them intimidate her. "What can I do you for?"

A girl standing off to the side with dyed red hair spoke up, "We just wanted to see for ourselves." She cocked her head to the side as she regarded Ella.

Ella checked over her shoulder to make sure they hadn't gained any human's attention. "See what?" she asked, trying to get to the point.

"You," the 'leader' of sorts said bluntly. She should have expected as much by the way they were acting towards her but it still took her by surprised.

She hitched her bag up her shoulder and asked coolly, "And why would you want to see me?"

A boy who was leaning against the wall had stayed silent until now. He took a drag of his cigarette and then spoke. "Mitchell is a legend among us, a real death dealer ... if you know what I mean."

Ella bristled as he tacked on the last part and pushed her hair out of her face. Of course she knew what he meant, the little prick.

"But his new little fad does not sit well the rest of us," the others nodded at his words.

"Really?" she said bitterly sarcastic, "we hadn't noticed."

"Some," he continued on, ignoring her, "are seriously starting to question it. Rumours are spreading. Some are calling it a madness. Others are making it out to be a disease."

Only vampires would classify _not_ killing people as a tell for mental illness. "And how does this relate to me?"

"They think it's catching," he stared pointedly at Ella. It took a moment for his words to sink in. When she realized what he meant by that, she huffed out a breath and took a step forward.

"Look," she started, "he's not contagious and he doesn't have a disease. It's a choice. We're not asking you to like it, just leave us alone." She tried her best to stay calm, a big reaction was all they wanted.

"I personally think is bullocks but I would advise that you two watch your backs," the leader began taking slow intimidating steps forward.

Ella began backing up, "So what are you going to do? Try to take us out? Take Mitchell out? I've got news for you ... you tosser!" She had heard Mitchell use that word now and again and hoped she had used it properly. "It would take a tremendous amount of blood for you to hope that you could beat Mitchell on his worst day."

"Is that right?" the other vampires moved to flank the leader. It was clearly time for Ella to leave.

"Yes," she whirled around and booked it out of the alleyway. She didn't bother to check to see if they were following her. She just continued to run, disappearing into the safety of humanity.

**~~Love Somebody~~**

Ella refused to stop at all as she ran home. Only once the pink house was in view did her step falter. She braced her hands on her knees to catch her breath and smooth her hair. She adjusted her bag which had fallen off her shoulder and hung haphazardly by her elbow. The last thing she wanted was Annie taking one look at her and flying into a fit of worry. This was clearly something she needed to discuss with Mitchell first.

She stepped through the door and looked around. The first floor was empty save for Annie who was humming in the kitchen.

"Hi," she said, setting her bag down.

"Oh," Annie whirled around, "you're back! Let me see what you got. The drown side of being a ghost is never changing clothes. Don't get me wrong, these are comfortable, but it would have nice to have some colour."

"Yeah, feel free to go through them. I'll be right back, I just need to speak with Mitchell," she turned and began rushing up the stairs.

"Ah, I think he's sleeping," Annie called up from the bottom.

"I'll be brief," she responded before slipping into the room and shutting the door. Sure enough, Mitchell was sprawled out on the mattress. His face was relaxed in an adorable pout. She hopped on the bed and shook his shoulder, "Mitchell." No response. "Mitchell," this time his eyebrows drew together and he blinked several times.

"Ella," he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "what's the matter?"

"I went out to do some shopping and on my way home I ran into some vampires," she explained.

At the word 'vampire' his eyes flashed to her face. He read her panicked expression and sat up quickly. "What happened" his voice was deadly serious. "Did they hurt you"

"No, no I'm fine. I was walking back home and one of them recognized me. They knew who you were and they had they have their own opinions about you going clean."

He snorted, "What a surprise."

"They think that you are sick and contagious," she continued.

He furrowed his brow, "Why would they think that?"

To answer his question she gestured to herself.

"Of course," he sighed.

"And then after that a few other hostile words were exchanged before I got the hell out of there." She moved to rest on her side. "Do you think they'll come back?"

He thought about it for a moment, no doubt carefully choosing his words. "It's hard to say. If they do, I'll sort it out. They're not itching for a fight, they want me to return to my old ways. In the mean time, I think it would be best if you stay in the house."

She nodded and leaned in to give him a hug.

**A/N: Leave a review, please. I am loving the feedback from you guys. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I apologize for this being put up later than expected.**

Chapter Six

The next day Ella found herself sitting in the living room with a cup of lukewarm tea in her hands as she attempted to make small talk with the neighbours Mitchell had invited over. She didn't have a clue what had brought this on all of a sudden but she wasn't about to diminish the spark that had been lit in him. So she played along, listening to their stories while also keeping an eye out for George who transformed last night and should have been back by now.

"Would anybody else like some more tea?" she asked while standing. Nobody spoke up so she simply gathered some discarded plates and took her own mug into the kitchen. She put the crockery in the sink and picked up a new cup of freshly made tea, courtesy of Annie.

"Can they see you at all?" she asked out loud.

Annie appeared behind her, "No, I'm still the same." Her tone was forlorn.

Ella turned around and rubbed her arm. It was strange, she felt cold and not entirely solid. "It'll get better, I'm sure. You just have to stay positive."

They looked through the kitchen window and saw Mitchell opening the door. "George, excellent! Let me introduce you to everyone." He led a rather dazed George – who still had smudges of dirt on his face – into the living room. When Ella turned around Annie had disappeared again.

She listened in as he went around introducing everyone to George before leaving him to grab something from the kitchen. George stood there awkwardly before following him.

"What are all these people doing in our house?" he asked.

"I've been thinking about this whole thing. Getting the house, it was meant to participate, to join humanity. And what have we done? A few trips down to the pub, that's pathetic. This is what being human is all about. Laughing with them and listen to their stories."

"About Vin Diesel?" George asked skeptically.

"A remarkable man, I'm starting to realize," Mitchell defended.

"It's a bit risky, isn't it?" George argued.

Ella hopped up on the counter. "I don't see a whole lot of harm in it, as long as we're careful."

"Besides, what's more suspicious; four shadowy, secretive people who never come out and never talk to anyone? Or four friendly, welcoming guys, always nice and chatty and their door's always open," Mitchell continued.

"I don't just mean risky for us," George sighed.

"We should hide in plain sight," Mitchell pulled out George's star of David from his pocket and handed it to him. "Stop being ashamed and invite the world in."

George waited until Mitchell had left the kitchen before whirling on Ella.

"You can't deny that he has a valid point," she got out before he began speaking.

"What the hell has brought this on? Since Becca died, he's barely left his room, barely said a word and now this?"

Annie materialized on the floor by the stove, "Maybe he's had a blow to the head."

"Look," Ella cut in, "all I know is this is the first time he has shown signs of life in weeks and I am not about to do anything that would ruin that." Her head turned on reflex as the doorbell rang, "I'll get it."

She opened the door to find a man standing on the sidewalk, wearing a blue and white stripped jacket, plain trousers and a white fedora.

"Good day, love," he smiled, stepping forward to shake her hand.

"Hi, come in," she greeted. As he passed by her she picked up a familiar musky scent. "I'm Ella Craig."

"Call me Tully."

"And which house are you from, Tully?" she asked casually. Before he could answer Mitchell greeted him and ushered him into the living room. She shrugged and took a seat on the bottom of the stairs.

Lee was just getting into another story about Vin Diesel when George rushed in and pulled Tully out of his seat and through the front door.

"What was all that about?" Annie appeared on the stairs with Ella who shook her head in confusion.

**~~Love Somebody~~**

After the neighbours had left George returned with Tully who turned out to be a werewolf as well. They gathered around the coffee table and listened to Tully tell his story about coming across George's clothes in the forest and then tracking him. George sat back with an unimpressed look on his face.

Annie on the other hand was completely engrossed. Most likely due to the fact that this was the first new face that she could communicate with in weeks.

"And what you've got here," he looked around, "this sanctuary ... I don't know, sometimes I'm my own worst enemy. Tully is as Tully does."

Annie sat back laughing hysterically. "Why are you laughing?" George asked in a monotone voice.

"I have no idea," she continued on laughing.

Tully leaned in, "I don't mean to stare, but I've seen people like you who have passed over. But never so solid, so vibrant. You're not like a ghost, you're more like-"

"A zombie?" she sat up.

"Well, I was going to say an angel," Tully continued.

Ella smiled and looked at Annie, he definitely had a point. Annie beamed at the compliment.

"Can I ask you a question?" he pointed at Mitchell.

"Please," Mitchell encouraged, setting his beer down.

"There's not many vampires that would break bread with a werewolf ..." Tully trailed off looking at both him and Ella.

Mitchell thought about it for a moment before answering. "I'm lapsed and she's," he looked down at Ella who was seated on the floor with her legs crossed, "different."

She gave him a toothy grin as she stole his beer off the table and finished it.

"So where are you sleeping tonight?" Mitchell asked.

"In the arms of Mother Nature, as always," Tully responded.

George sighed, "Is just saying outside really that hard."

"Why don't you stay with us," Mitchell said, "the sofa's the best we can offer but it's warm and there's tea and the telly. What do you guys think?"

Annie nodded her head and Ella responded, "I don't see why not."

"I wouldn't want to impose," Tully said.

"Fair enough," George sat up.

"Oh no, you wouldn't be," Annie said excitedly.

"Well I am fighting a cold," he admitted.

"You know fresh air is the best cure," George commented.

"Then it's settled, "Mitchell ignored him and left to grab a few more beers. Ella gathered the empties and took them to the sink to rinse them out.

"What the hell are you doing?" George leaned against the fridge while Mitchell pulled out two beers.

"Here we go," Ella said exasperated and placed the bottles in the recycling bin.

"I told you, we need to embrace humanity, let the world in," Mitchell said.

"Yes, but he isn't human," George stressed.

"Well, in that case, neither are you," Mitchell joked.

"It's Annie, I'm thinking of. She very low at the moment and Tully here is putting her under a lot of stress." Mitchell raised his eyebrows as they listened to Annie laugh from the living room. "No, no, I've changed my mind, the deals off."

"What deal?" Ella asked.

"He said he could show me ways to manage the condition and in return, I'd let him meet you guys," George admitted.

"Well that's great!" Mitchell said.

"No, it's not because now it's here. Isn't it bad enough that this happens to me once a month. Can't I have somewhere to hide from it?"

"Spoken like a true pubescent woman-child," Ella remarked.

"You get to hide for twenty-seven days out of twenty-eight. That's pretty good going from where I'm standing," Mitchell said.

"You know what's happening don't you? You've forgotten what it's like to see your own reflection and be faced with yourself, what you are every day. Mitchell, the house is my way of coping. I want to close that door, I'm allowed to close that door and forget!"

Mitchell shook his head, "I can't believe we're even having this conversation. If someone could teach me to control what I am? Jesus Christ, I'd jump at the chance," he sighed before walking back into the living room.

Ella moved and sat in one of the kitchen chairs, pondering his words. She had never really discussed it in so many words with him, but it had certainly on her mind. The possibility that she could help Mitchell in that way, that she could _save_ him was not something that she could shake.

**A/N: Please leave a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: There's been some mention over when the romance will pick up. I hope nobody minds that I intended for it to be a slow progression. That doesn't mean there won't be sweet adorable moments between the two of them. **

Chapter Seven

George closed the door as the last of the neighbours left the house. "This has to stop. I can not do another conversation about Vin Diesel," he sounded exhausted.

"You just need to get him onto another subject," Mitchell said while collecting dishes from the coffee table with Ella.

"I've tried, Lenard Cohan, Darcey Bussell," he continued to ramble on.

"It's good we're doing this," Mitchell said firmly, "especially now. Throwing the doors open like this sends a message."

Ella stopped and looked up at him with a quizzical look.

"What do you mean especially now?" George asked.

"Nothing," he replied quickly, grabbing the plates from Ella's hands, "it came out wrong."

"That sends a message to who? There's something you're not telling us," George accused. Annie who was curled up in a ball on the sofa shared a look with Ella.

"Like what?" Mitchell challenged. Ella immediately picked up something in his tone, he was being far too cavalier. He looked to Ella and Annie to back him up but both gave him expectant looks. "What?" he said frustrated.

"A few weeks ago Tully was attacked in London by some vampires," George started.

"Vampires are arse-holes, this is hardly news," Mitchell shrugged.

"Yes but Tully says this is happening more and more like suddenly they've stopped hiding. But it's the things they're saying about time ... how their time is coming."

"What time?" Ella turned to Mitchell.

"It's nothing," he assured her, "vampires have been saying their time is coming since the crusades. Every now and then someone comes along and gets everyone excited, but it never comes to anything."

"So something has been happening?" Annie challenged.

"It's nothing, I promise!" he handed the plates to George, "I need to wee." Ella watched as he disappeared up the stairs.

"Well, I feel totally reassured," George sighed and took the plates to the kitchen.

"That ... could have gone better," Ella walked to the foot of the stair and looked up. "He probably won't be coming down until he has to go to work." She debated for a moment, "I'm going to try talking to him."

She found him standing in the doorway of the bathroom and heard a female voice. "Mitchell?" she approached him but he did not move. "Who are you talking to?"

A young woman was standing by the sink with a cut finger and blood on her t-shirt. "Oh my God," Ella said rather loudly. She looked at Mitchell who seemed to be fixated on the cut finger.

The woman looked at them rather oddly, "Are you okay?"

Ella quickly corrected herself, "Oh yes, he's just a bit ... off around blood, um," she reached around Mitchell to squeeze his side."You know, a quick soak will get rid of those stains right away."

Mitchell finally snapped out of his trance, "Why don't we get you down stairs and find you some plaster or something." Once she had left the bathroom Mitchell drained the sink and looked at Ella, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she smiled at him.

**~~Love Somebody~~**

"Mitchell," she started as they sat on the step outside. After the blood incident they had relocated outside for some fresh air or, in Mitchell's case, for a smoke. "If there is something going on with the vampires-" she paused as he gave her a sharp look, "I'm just saying, you can, you know, tell me."

He took a drag, "Honestly Ella, there's nothing going on."

She thought about it for a moment and wondered if he was being straight with her. He'd certainly been around long enough to perfect the art of lying. "I'd just hate for you to get into some kind of trouble because you were keeping secrets," she said ominously.

His only response was a dismissive nod of the head.

"One more heart-to-heart," she put her hand on his knee. He looked at her confused.

"I know that you have a handle on it, but I still want to help you stay clean," she smiled.

She had his attention now. He leaned in close and and stared at her, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

Ella wasn't really sure if he was mocking her or genuinely curious. She hadn't expected him to respond with a follow up question. She pursed her lips and said, "I'm not sure, I'll probably figure it out as I go along," she nodded, sure of herself.

Mitchell pulled back a bit and regarded her curiously, "You're a funny little thing, you know that?"

She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Boo!" Annie appeared beside her with a cup of tea in hand.

"Good one," Ella smiled. The door opened up behind them and George stepped out.

Mitchell sat up "Oh George, you know the isolation room you were using to transform?"

George leaned against the wall, "Yeah, there using as a sight office for the building."

"Health and safety says it's unsuitable; it's too remote and there aren't enough windows. The sight officer kept bursting into tears every time he went down there."

"So?" George asked.

"So after next week you can start using it again to transform in."

"Oh, I don't know, I think I'm better off curled up in the lap of Mother Nature."

"Alright," Mitchell nodded and then a confused look spread across his face. "Wait, what?"

"But I thought you said changing out in the open was dangerous?" Annie was confused as well.

"Look, don't try to understand George," he waved his hand.

"George? George who?" Annie wrinkled her brow.

"Me," George said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Mitchell looked away, "So Carol from number twelve is going to lend us _Casablanca_."

"Why?"

"I'm only in it!" he exclaimed.

"Seriously?" Ella laughed.

"Yeah, I'm just an extra in the bar, and you can't actually see me but I do knock over a chair at one point and you can see that."

"Very cool," she bumped shoulders with him.

"How did you swing that?" Annie asked.

Mitchell shrugged, "I know people, I move and shake."

"I can think of a better way to spend an evening than watch how you knocked a chair over sixty years ago," George laughed.

They turned to stare at him. "You've changed your tune, I thought you loved all movies," Annie commented.

"Hey, George is as George does."

Ella scoffed and Mitchell asked, "Did you really just say that? Did you actually say those words?"

"Oh my God, you're Tully's Minnie Me!" Annie pointed out. The three of them burst out laughing on the step as George rolled his eyes and walked away.

**A/N: Next chapter will include some drama. Please leave a review! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So I rewrote this chapter. I want to thank Doe for her opinion and confirming my doubt about there not being enough Ella interacting with the other. Hopefully this is an improvement. I have a better feeling about this version. **

Chapter Eight

"Mitchell," Ella began as she swung one of the grocery bags, "I've been thinking."

"About what?" he asked as he walked along beside her.

"Well, probably going to start charging rent for three. And as long as I'm going to be staying with you guys, I should probably get a job."

"That's not necessary, Ella, the rent is just fine," he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Ella shrugged, "I still think I should earn my keep."

Mitchell laughed, "Ella you don't even have your own room. But I guess if it means that much to you ..."

"Yeah!" she skipped ahead excited.

He jogged to catch up with her, "Just make sure you're careful."

"Don't worry, I'm always careful. And I've already done some looking around. There's this flower shop on Wellington Street, they have this arrangement with the hospital and they need a new coordinator. Someone to approve of the pieces and then bring them over for patients and decorum," she grew excited as she talked more about the job.

"You seem pretty enthusiastic about it," he remarked.

"Well I love flowers," she explained, "I love their different meanings, their colours ... I love receiving flowers. I used to do ballet and at the end of each year, my mom would always get me a bouquet of peach coloured roses for my recital." She smiled fondly as she thought back on those memories. The hours of stretching, practicing, picking out beautiful costumes, and then finally the performance, the roses, and so many smiles.

"Ella?" Mitchell's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry," she bit her lip, as a the bitter reminder that those days were over resurfaced. She pushed those thoughts down, not wanting to dwell on them.

She looked down at her hand as Mitchell took her's, twining their fingers together. She looked back up at his face to see him giving her a soft smile but she could still see the regret in his eyes.

Ella didn't want to have that conversation though. She didn't wan to blame Mitchell even if he was the one who recruited her. Blame was such an ugly thing to feel and made her sick on the inside. It had always been this way for Ella, it as easier just to forgive. So she pressed her face into Mitchell's shoulder briefly to let him know that she was alright.

They continued down the street like that holding hands. They were nearing the house when suddenly, they heard Annie. They turned around to see her couched down by the gutter, tears streaming down her face.

"Annie?" Mitchell asked, taking off his sunglasses, "What are you doing down there."

She stood up shakily and rushed to them, she sobbed into Mitchell's shoulder.

"Annie, what happened?" Ella asked, patting her back in a comforting manner.

Annie was eventually able to get her breathing under control and told them what had happened. Explaining how Tully had backed her up into the fridge, the things he said to her. Mitchell grew more and more frustrated by the second until finally he turned on his heel and began stalking towards the house with Annie and Ella rushing after him.

When they entered the house there was no sign of Tully on the first floor. "He's still here," Mitchell assured them. Ella carried the grocery bags into the kitchen and then joined the others in the living room.

"Just let me do the talking," Mitchell told them.

"Yeah, you do that because confrontation make me want to throw up," Ella grabbed Annie's hand making the both of them look more collected.

Not two minutes later they heard footsteps from second floor descending the stairs. Mitchell grabbed Tully's white hat from off the sofa and threw it at him as soon as his feet touched the floor.

"Time to go," Mitchell said menacingly with Annie and Ella flanking him.

"I thought me ears were burning," Tully said. "Well, what if I don't want to go?"

"I wasn't offering a choice," Mitchell's voice was clipped and harsh.

"George got a say in this?" Damn, George and Tully had bonded over the past few weeks.

"I don't think he's going to be too keen on molesters staying in the house," Ella said cleverly.

The front door lock jingled, signalling that George was home. Tully moved around them to sit on the sofa. The door swung open and George walked in, he looked at everyone, sensing the tension in the room.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Tully's leaving," Mitchell said firmly.

"What? Why?"

"I wish I could tell you, mate," Tully raised his hands as if he were the most innocent person in the whole world.

"Oh, please," Ella rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I know it was my suggestion but it was only going to be for a day or so, and instead it's been weeks. So I think now's the time-"

"He's creepy," Annie interrupted Mitchell, "and he frightened me."

"Yeah, I was building to that," Mitchell told her.

"Creepy?" George scoffed, "you're dead."

Ella ran a hand through her hair, "He's over-stayed his welcome George, and I don't feel comfortable with someone like him in the house, not after he tried to feel up Annie!"

"Ella," Mitchell cautioned trying to placate her before turning back to George, "Look, he stinks out the bathroom, he eats all the food."

"Oh, that's nice, that's generosity," George said sarcastically.

"Don't worry, there's more," Ella said as she moved slightly between Mitchell and George as tension rose.

"He's upset Annie! He's pissing off the neighbours, he's ... he's a twat!" Mitchell finished.

"Well he's my twat!" George retorted. Everyone stared at George in silence.

"I imagine that sounded better in your head," Mitchell remarked.

"I mean, he's my friend," George clarified.

"So what the hell are we?"

"I don't know, Mitchell, I really don't."

"Look guys I don't want to cause any trouble," Tully began to get up but George promptly told him to sit back down, to which he easily complied.

"Why haven't you helped me?" George asked Mitchell. "Why is it Tully who is showing me how to manage my condition?"

"You can barely admit, you have a condition," Mitchell said.

"Why is it Tully, who is showing me how to talk to women?"

"Seriously?" Ella raised an eyebrow.

"Showing you how to talk to women?" he turned to look at Ella to make sure he had heard George right. "What are you twelve?"

"Do you know the difference between you and him?" George challenged.

Mitchell shrugged, "Mmm, I don't know. I don't have to shave my palms?" he shouted.

Tully looked away while George stared in shock. "I think that's actually racist!"

"Oh, shut up!" Mitchell turned away. Ella watched him carefully, she rarely saw Mitchell get upset over anything.

"He wants me to be myself! He want's me to be strong and independent!"

Mitchell stepped back in front of George, "Turning you into his clone doesn't make you strong and independent!"

"Guys, I think we all just need to step back and calm down for a moment," Ella's words fell on deaf ears.

"Oh, and I suppose you know all about turning people into monsters!" George shouted at Mitchell while pointing at Ella.

"What!" Ella stared at George in disbelief.

"Oh, for Christ's sake George, he pretty much assaulted Annie!" Mitchell shouted.

"And I bet she loved it!"

_Slap!_ Ella's palm connected with George's face. George remained still for a moment before turning his face back to Ella. Her eyes were beginning to water and her cheeks turned pink in embarrassment at that. She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She turned around and rushed up the stairs, down the hall and into Mitchell's room. She sat down on the bed, holding a hand over her mouth as a few tears ran down her face.

A moment later she heard the sound of the door slamming shut and then all was quiet. She leaned back, resting her head against her pillow.

Mitchell knocked on the door, later. She sat back up, wiping under her eyes. He walked in and sat on the bed beside her.

"You know George didn't mean what he said, any of it."

She rubbed her hand over her face, "It's just, I'm trying so hard to make this work. But when I think about what I am and what I'm capable of I get ... scared."

"Ella, you're not a monster. You are compassionate, you are caring, and stronger than some vampires that have lived over a hundred years, stronger than me," he pulled her in for a hug.

"It's more than that, I think about what it will be like in fifty years. How I'll still be the same and all of my friends and family, some of them might me dead by then. And they'll never know what happened to me. I'll just be one of those girls who goes for a vacation and turns up dead," her voice shook. "I didn't want to have this conversation because I knew I would feel like this, but the truth is, I miss them Mitchell. I miss them so much." She pressed her face into his shoulder and began to cry.

He held her and let her release everything she had held on to. "I'm so sorry Ella."

Ella's friend, Lacey, used to say that crying was the best thing for you. And she had to admit that after calming down, she did feel a bit better. She was glad that Mitchell knew how she felt about all of this. She sat up, drying her eyes.

"How's Annie?" she asked, changing the subject.

"She was upset as well, but I talked to her. I swear when there's only one man in the house, only one of you is allowed to be upset. I can't do double damage control."

She laughed with him, both standing up. Mitchell put his hands on her shoulders, "You're going to be fine, Ella." He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

She smiled up at him, "Yeah I think I am. Thank you for helping me."

They left the room and found Annie downstairs who was already brewing coffee and tea for both.

"Thanks for giving him a proper slap, Ella," Annie said handing a mug to her.

"My pleasure, he deserved it."

They sat quietly at the kitchen table, with their mugs. A short time later the front door opened and closed. They stood up and walked to the front entryway, and found George standing their, holding a DVD in his hands.

Annie was the first to speak, "Where's Tully?"

"Gone," George said. "I'm sorry, I really am so sorry. Especially for what I said to you girls. I don't know what's happening to me. It's become a habit, I come in here look at the damage and I say sorry."

They were silent for a moment. Ella looked at George, thought about what it must be like not to have anyone to properly help him with being a werewolf without turning him into a prick.

_It's easier to forgive_, she thought to herself.

Annie broke out into a smile, "What's that?" she asked, pointing at the DVD.

"I don't know, it was on the floor as I came in. I assume it's Mitchell knocking over a chair in _Casablanca_."

"Oh cool, let's put it on," Annie and Ella moved into the living room, soon followed by George and Mitchell. They sat in front of the TV and waited for the DVD to load.

What appeared on screen, however, was certainly not Mitchell knocking over a chair.

"What the fuck!"

**A/N: Next chapter should be up soon. Please leave a review :) **


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